Computing networks can include multiple network devices such as routers, switches, hubs, servers, desktop PCs, laptops, and workstations, and peripheral devices, e.g., printers, facsimile devices, and scanners, networked together across a local area network (LAN) and/or a wide area network (WAN).
The use of LANs to serve a wide range of communication needs has continued to increase, with networks growing larger and devices more densely grouped. Issues with documenting and managing LANs have likewise increased the need for timely response when connectivity problems arise. This is even more important with the advent of voice over internet protocol (VoIP) replacing the function of the traditional phone network, but now operating over the same LAN as data services. Local area networks are subsuming more and more of the responsibility for carrying the total electronic communication needs of a business and/or a home.